The Ossipees are just north of Lake Winnipesaukee. Their circular appearance is easily visible on terrain maps.
They are the remnant of a volcanic ring dike.
Mt Roberts is probably their most popular peak, with an easy trail leading from the Castle in the Clouds, but today we headed for Bald Knob.
At 1800-ish feet, it is not the highest elevation in the Ossipees, or even close, but it has an excellent view and a comparatively short hike.
TLV wanted to scout the Bald Knob Cutoff Trail, but I preferred the shorter ( and steeper! ) Bald Knob Trail. We had two vehicles today so we had sort of a built-in car spot opportunity , and took it. I solo'ed this loop once before on a hot summer day, and the road walk along 171 from the Shannon trailhead to the Bald Knob trailhead wasnt much fun, so I was glad of the two vehicles this day 🙂
It also means I dont have a track of TLV's walk up the Bald Knob Cutoff. She reports that it was rocky with some slippery spots. I remember it as kind of dark. Glad to have skipped it. I dont like slippery. But I do remember some interesting geology on the cutoff.
Details from that previous trip
So we hiked up our separate ways and met at the Bald Knob. It was a glorious day and drew a lot of people.
We decided to descend via the Turtleback trail, as TLV also wanted to scout this route. It's a very easy route, an old carriage road. It does take some attention, as there are quite a few junctions along the way. We met a good many people, many with kids and / or dogs. All very pleasant, though one dog that started friendly unexpectedly lunged at TLV. She loves dogs. A warning to stay further away from the kid, I guess. Personally, I avoid strange dogs.
There is good parking at the Shannon trailhead , and a kiosk with a good map of the LRCT trails. Note that the map does NOT show the Bald Mountain trail, although it is still open. I think it is off the LRCT property. There is a pull-off at the Moultonboro town sign. I recommend finding/getting a Trail Bandit map in addition to the LRCT map.
Anyway, the meandering descent was a pleasant enough walk, though I was happy enough for it to be over. The bridge over the brook is probably very scenic but there wasnt much water today. But there were some goldenrods with many busy bees alongside the trail 🙂
Oh ..the buzzing of the bees ...</